Truth and Determination
by xxicexsnowxx
Summary: Currently fighting with Seimei, Rikuo is having a hard time. When help arrives, his hyakki yako succeeds. But when he finds out the truth behind all of his victories, he begins to doubt his leadership. Read on to find out what happens! Rated T because I'm paranoid. WARNING: Contains OCs, and OOCness. And is now officially AU.
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first fanfic, so no flaming plz! (I'll admit. I don't take criticism well.)**

**Anyway, I know chapter 210 is coming out veeerrry soon (it may be up before you read this story, but that's not the point.) and this is what I think should happen. Emphasis on "should". So this is basically my version of what will happen next.  
**

**Warning: Contains OCs, may have some OOCness, and I'm not sure if this is AU, but I'm just going to say that just in case.  
**

**Now, on with the story! ^_^  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Nurarihyon no Mago  
**

* * *

_End of Chapter 209..._

_"Rikuo! You idiot! Why?!" Hagaromo Kitsune yelled. In the act of saving her, Rikuo had jumped between her and the blast Seimei had shot, resulting in having half of his body being shredded._

_"Seimei…" Rikuo said as he got up. "Yes, I will show you… which path forward I believe in!" He declared._

* * *

_Meanwhile..._

"Gah!" Kubinashi cried as he was thrown into a wall. He slammed into it, making a new hole on the only spot that wasn't destroyed. _Damn, this girl... she isn't just a puppet master?! _He thought as he looked up to face her.

Gokadoin Yuiyui smiled. In her hands, she held her usual teddy bear, which had multiple pins stuck in it. Around her, circled two beasts. One was a dragon. Its scales were pure black, and there was a heptagram on its forehead. The symbol of the Gokadoin.

The other beast was a creature that looked like a cross-breed between a bird and a lion. The lower half of its body and the head was a lion's, but where its front two paws should be, were pure white wings. It was hard to just look at the wings without being blinded. The creatures roared.

"Most people think I can only cast curses on people. That's why a lot of them fight me alone. But," She said as she walked toward Kubinashi. "I'm also a talented Shikigami master." Yuiyui said while giving her "sweet and innocent" smile, which sent shivers down Kubinashi's spine.

**"Go."** Yuiyui commanded. The two shikigami flew towards Kubinashi. _I'm sorry... Nidaime... _Kubinashi thought. Right when the dragon was about to sink its teeth into his heart, something flew from above them, and thudded the dragon in the forehead. It roared in pain.

"Damn it, I missed." came a voice. All of them (including the shikigami) whirled their heads towards the sound. Two hooded figures were crouching near the edge of a hole on the roof. One was obviously a girl. She wore a white kimono dress that ended at the thighs, and was belted with a pink obi. She wore a blue hooded cloak that covered her face, and, like the dress, ended at the thighs.

The other figure was a male. He wore a green striped kimono, which reminded Kubinashi of Rihan's. He wore a red cloak that fell to his ankles, and his hood also covered most of his face. He held a bow in his hands.

"Give me that." The girl said while snatching the bow from her comrade's hands. "Looks like you still need to improve on your accuracy." She commented before she jumped down, landing in front of Kubinashi. The male followed. "Go tend his wounds. I can take care of her."

With that, they split up. The female ran towards Yuiyui, while the male carried Kubinashi to safety.

"Um... Thanks... I guess." Kubinashi managed to stutter out when they were in a safe place. The hooded figure nodded and said, "Show me your wounds." He did as he was told. The man coated his hands with green energy, and passed them over Kubinashi's wounds. Kubinashi watched in amazement as his cuts and bruises healed. It was then, he realized that the woman hadn't attacked them, and snapped his head up.

"What's wrong?"

"Your partner. Why isn't she attacking us?" Kubinashi asked with his eyes wide open. "Isn't that what that Gokadoin does? She casts a curse and makes comrades hurt each other."

"Don't worry about her. She's an expert when it comes to curses and spells. Besides," The man said while looking at the two women. "She's not attacking. She's 'playing'."

_Playing?_

* * *

"Hee hee! You sure are good at this game for a first-timer!"

Yuiyui was befuddled. Why wasn't her spell working?! When the female ran up to her, the bow in her hands had morphed into two daggers. However, instead of hitting her own comrades, she simply charged straight at Yuiyui. Not only that, Yuiyui couldn't counterattack. Whenever she tried to, a mysterious force would cut her arms, leaving deep wounds on them. Her shikigami were already destroyed by the invisible force.

"How is this possible?! No one has _ever_ broken my spell before!" Yuiyui yelled, which completely ruined her "innocent yet creepy person" image. The figure giggled. "What's so funny?!" Yuiyui demanded.

"You don't get it, do you? I never broke your spell. Its still there."

"That doesn't make any sense! If the spell is still there, you would be attacking _them!_" Yuiyui jabbed her finger in the direction of the two boys. The figure smiled sweetly. Even though her eyes were covered, it still sent shivers down Yuiyui's and Kubinashi's back.

"That's because I don't _attack._ I _play_." The next thing Yuiyui knew, her opponent was standing behind her, sheathing her two daggers. Kubinashi watched as Yuiyui was split in half, straight down the middle. Blood splurted everywhere.

"Fighting... is just a game. A game of death." The woman spoke. "When one takes the battle as a game, your spell is useless. I'm surprised you never noticed that you were caught in my spell the entire time." She looked back at them, emitting a merciless aura. Kubinashi gulped. Then, she smiled sweetly and said, "That was fun~ we should do this sometime!" She gestured to her partner.

He sighed and said, "Let's go. We've got to get to the top, _now_."

"Why?" Kubinashi piped up. "I don't recall you guys being at the meeting. Who's your leader?" The two people looked at each other and exchanged a silent conversation. "That's not the issue here." The woman said. The man nodded.

"Our first priority is getting to the top and helping Rikuo. He won't survive up there without our help." They looked at Kubinashi, who nodded. "Let's go."


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay! I'm sorry about not putting some authors notes at the end of the last chapter. (I was trying to upload it before chapter 210 came out. ^_^')**

**Anyway, here's the next chapter!  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Nurarihyon no Mago. (I would love to, but sadly, I don't.)  
**

* * *

"…daisho! Shodaisho!" Nurarihyon opened his eyes. Looking at him was Setsura's concerned face. "Wha—what happened?" Nurarihyon asked while sitting up. He realized a few things:

1) He was still alive (unless hell looked exactly like the upper world.)

2) He was in his younger form.

3) Orochi was on the ground, cut in multiple places, and dead.

"Just what happened? Why am I in my younger form? And what happened to Orochi?" He demanded. Setsura shifted uncomfortably. "Um… yeah… about that…" Setsura started.

"What?"

"Two unknown figures came and helped us." Hitotsume piped up. "Stupid folks. We would have been fine without them! Why did they _insist_ on helping us?!" He yelled. Gyuki raised an eyebrow.

"Are you sure, Hitotsume? When Nurarihyon-sama fell, Orochi had the upper hand. Had they not helped us, we would have been obliterated." Hitotsume looked like he wanted to protest, but didn't. Probably because what Gyuki said was true.

"Don't forget the fact that they saved Nurarihyon-sama." Setsura added. Hitotsume humphed and walked off.

"Wait, _who_ saved me?" Nurarihyon asked. Gyuki and Setsura exchanged glances.

"We don't know. They were both wearing cloaks that covered their faces. Although it was easy to tell that one was a female while the other was a male. The man shredded Orochi, while the woman took a look at you." Setsura answered.

"She barely glanced at you before muttering something like, 'Ikigimo ripped out, huh?' I do not know how she can see that by just looking at you, but before we could ask, she knelt down beside you and placed her hands over where your heart should be. Her hands started glowing, and the color returned to your face."

"Her hands glowed?" Nurarihyon asked, interrupting Setsura. Setsura nodded. "But unlike Youhime, her hands were glowing green. Anyway, after the glow died, she smiled at us and said, 'He should be fine for now. As long as he doesn't get his Ikigimo ripped out again.'"

_Again? What did she mean by…!_ Nurarihyon's hands shot to his chest, testing his theory.

_THUMP. THUMP._

"My heart…its…**beating**." He whispered. Those who heard him were shocked.

"Wha—" Setsura started. She opened and closed her mouth like a gaping fish, but no sound came out of it.

"Where are they?!" Nurarihyon asked, grabbing Setsura's shoulder. "Where is the person who healed this? Even Youhime herself couldn't heal it!"

"They- they went to the Aoi Spiral Castle. Something about helping the Nura Gumi in this fight." Nurarihyon got up and headed for the Aoi Spiral Castle when Gyuki stopped him.

"Shodaisho! I know you are anxious to find them, but we need to defend the main house first!" Nurarihyon cursed under his breath. Gyuki was right. He couldn't leave the main house unprotected. He looked at the castle longingly. _Rikuo…stay alive until I get there!_

* * *

**Uwahh! A really short chapter, I know! I'm sorry, but there really isn't anything to write for the scene at the main house. TT^TT**_  
_

**I apologize if you guys want more. Plz tell me if you want me to just skip to the epic part, or write about the battle against Abe no Ariyuki (i think that's how you spell his name)  
**

**Plz R&R!  
**

**P.S. If I get more a lot more bad reviews than good ones, I'll trash this story. Then I'll try to come up with a better one.  
**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

**Hey guys! It's xxicexsnoxx writing here! I see my story isn't that popular, since none of you reviewed…  
**

**Oh well. Hopefully I can make this chapter better, and improve my writing!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Nurarihyon no Mago.**

**I'm just going to skip the fight with Abe no Ariyuki. Let's just say that the two people helped Tamazuki and Daisai (that is his name right? O_O) defeat Ariyuki and now they're all on their way to help Rikuo.**

* * *

Rikuo coughed up blood as he tried to get up.

"Rikuo! Don't push yourself! You're gonna die if you do!" Hagaromo Kitsune shouted as she caught Rikuo in her arms.

"How weak and foolish. Sacrificing himself for an enemy." Seimei said. "Weak ayakashi should be destroyed!" He yelled as he sent a huge blast of energy towards Hagaromo Kitsune and Rikuo. _This is bad! We won't be able to dodge it! _Hagaromo Kitsune thought. Just when the beam was about to hit her, someone jumped in between them. Another person carried them to safety.

"Wha-" Hagaromo Kitsune cried out. The beam hit the mysterious person. Hagaromo Kitsune lunged forward, trying to save him(or was it her?), when their rescuer stopped her.

"What are you doing?! Your comrade will die!" The figure shook its head.

"Don't worry about him. He'll be fine." She said. Hagaromo Kitsune studied her. She wore a blue cloak with a hood that covered most of her face, and she was wearing a white kimono dress that ended at the thighs.

"How is he going to be fine? Seimei's jutsu shreds whatever it touches!" Hagaromo Kitsune gestured to where the figure was standing, which was bathed in a harsh light. The light died, revealing another hooded figure. He wore a red cloak and, like his partner, had a hood that covered most of his face. The surprising thing was that he was still standing there, unharmed. It was then, Hagaromo Kitsune noticed something in front of him. _A barrier? Wait, is that… fear?!_

The man had both of his arms stretched out in front of him, as if blocking something. In front of his palms, was a barrier made out of solidified fear. He put down his arms and the wall disappeared. Some leftover fear gathered in his right hand, and solidified into a katana. He looked at Hagaromo Kitsune, before looking at Rikuo. Hagaromo Kitsune followed his gaze.

The woman had laid Rikuo down on the ground, and her hands were coated with a green energy. She passed her hands over the parts where Rikuo got shredded. She concentrated and Rikuo's entire body glowed green. When the light died, Rikuo was completely healed. The half of his body that got blasted off grew back, and without a single scar on him. Rikuo opened his eyes. "Thanks." He said as he grabbed Nenekirimaru.

"Wait, you can't charge into the battle now! You just had half of your body shredded!" Hagaromo Kitsune shouted.

"Now you're just like his mom…" The woman mumbled.

"WHAT?!"

"Never mind. He'll be fine. I also replenished his energy when I healed him." The woman said. "Go. I can take care of the wounded." They both nodded and jumped back into the battlefield.

* * *

The man was already fighting. He was a good fighter. He had made another katana in his left hand, and was fighting Seimei with dual swords. His arms moved with surprising speed, and you could never guess where his sword would come from.

Seimei was gradually pushed back. Whenever he tried to blast the man, he would place his fear on his swords and cut through his attack. The only reason Seimei made it out without any cuts on his body, was because he constantly had a shield up. If he didn't, he would have been killed by whoever that person was. He was still wondering how to defeat him when two other figures appeared next to him.

_Damn. I'm cornered._ Seimei thought. Hagaromo Kitsune was standing on his left, tachi raised. Rikuo was standing on his right. And the man was standing in front of him, his swords in his hands.

"Give it up, Seimei. You've lost." Rikuo spoke. Seimei chuckled. Rikuo narrowed his eyes at him.

"What's so funny?"

"You haven't even seen my full power yet." Seimei laughed.

"…! Not good-" The man started. But it was too late. The glyph in Seimei's hands glowed harshly and exploded, leaving a massive crater in the ground.

Seimei appeared above the hole he had just made. He scanned the place. The man had somehow managed to carry Rikuo and Hagaromo Kitsune away to safety in time. Part of his cloak was charred, indicating that he wasn't completely unharmed.

"Looks like I can't afford to go easy on this guy." The man spoke. His swords turned entirely black as he placed his fear on them. His comrade looked shocked.

"Wait! You can't charge in th—" She yelled. She got up, preparing to chase after him, when a bunch of wounded youkai collapsed at her feet. _Damn! I can't leave them to die here, but if I don't hurry...! _She thought while looking at her partner.

* * *

_He's even stronger than before! Is this… his true power?! _Seimei thought. The man had charged at him the moment his blades turned black. Seimei _had_put up a shield, but the reinforced katana had sliced through went on for a couple minutes, before Seimei noticed something.

_…? He seems… slower than before. _He thought. The man's arms weren't moving as fast as they were when they first battled each other. Also, the man seemed to be bothered with his left shoulder. Seimei smiled to himself. He shot a small beam of energy towards the man's left shoulder. When it hit, the man screamed in pain. The man jumped backwards, clutching his shoulder. He began panting heavily.

_Like I thought, there's something wrong with his shoulder. _Seimei thought. "Well, should I give you the experience you gave me when your swords cut me endlessly?" He said. He waved his arms and the demons he had brought back from hell threw their weapons towards the figure.

The figure widened his eyes. Blood splattered everywhere. But it wasn't his blood.

"Ho? Now this is an interesting out come." Seimei said. Rikuo was standing in front of the man, shielding him from the weapons. He held Nenekirimaru in front of his chest, barely blocking the weapons headed for his heart. But the rest of his body was pierced with countless weapons. There was a dagger in his right eye, and various swords and spears sticking through his stomach.

"Why is it that," Seimei started while making a pushing motion towards Rikuo. The weapons dug deeper into Rikuo's body.

"…!"

"You would save anyone, including a stranger that you don't even know?" Seimei made a yanking motion with his hand, and all the weapons forcefully pulled themselves out of Rikuo's body, which the man caught.

"Ri-Rikuo-sama!" The ayakashi on Rikuo's side yelled simultaneously.

"Hmph. He may have saved you once, but," Seimei raised his arm, and the weapons pointed at the two in front of him. "That's the last time." He brought his hand down, as if slicing something, and the weapons flew towards them.

"Watch out!" A feminine voice cried. Something blue flashed near Rikuo and the man before it disappeared, along with the two of them. The weapons thudded into the ground.

"Ki-Kishi!" The man cried when they were in a safe place. She glared at him.

"You idiot! Charging in there so recklessly. Lend me a hand!" She yelled at him.

They both put their hands over Rikuo's wounds. Their hands glowed green, but the wounds weren't closing a single bit. The woman shook her head. "It's no use." Seimei's voice came from behind them.

"Those weapons are infused with spells. You can't heal those wounds." The man still tried relentlessly, despite what Seimei said.

"…Idiot! Why did you jump between me and those weapons?!" He yelled at Rikuo. Rikuo opened his left eye.

"You… reminded me… of my dad." He said. The man widened his eyes in shock.

"Oyaji… never really…had time for me. When…he finally did…he… was killed…in front…of my eyes." Rikuo looked at him. His eyes were turning brown, and his hair was getting shorter.

"Perhaps...that's why I saved you. I … couldn't do … anything… on that day. Well…I'll get to see him soon. Tell…Okaa-san… that… I'm sorry I couldn't…go to the hanyou village… she and dad wanted me…to see." Rikuo smiled as he closed his eyes for the last time.

* * *

**Surprised? Yes, Rikuo dies in this story. But don't worry! He'll came back later. A few things:**

**_1) Oyaji- an informal way of saying "dad", almost rude_  
**

**_2)Okaa-san- a familiar of saying "mother"_**

**_3)tachi- a Japanese sword, typically a meter long  
_**

**_4)katana- also a Japanese sword, typically 95cm long  
_**

**Well, that's it, so plz R&R!  
**

**Oh, and Merry Christmas! ^_^  
**

**~xxicexsnowxx~  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi guys! Anyway, I just read the last raw chapter of Nurarihyon no Mago, and it is **_**nothing**_** like how I expected it. Even so, I will continue this fanfic, so for people who still want to read it, plz do! ^_^**

_**To **__irus1000: __**Thank you! And congratulations for being the first and only reviewer! The pairing, huh? I'm not sure, but I might add it in the middle or at the end of the fanfic. As for the stranger, find out in this chapter!**_

**So, on with the story!**

**Wait, I almost forgot: I do not own Nurarihyon no Mago.**

* * *

"_Tell…Okaa-san… that… I'm sorry I couldn't…go to the hanyou village… she and dad wanted me…to see." Rikuo smiled as he closed his eyes._The man's hands dropped to his side. Kishi looked at him worriedly. Suddenly, there was a massive amount of fear emitting from the man.

"O-Oi! Calm dow- Ow!" Kishi reached for him, but was burned by the fear her partner was releasing.

"**Seimei…" **He started, his fingers digging into the ground, making deep scratch marks. He grabbed Nenekirimaru from Rikuo's hands. "**You…you BASTARD!**" He yelled while charging at Seimei. Seimei smirked and put up one of his strongest shield, but to his surprise, the man cut through it, tearing the front of his clothes.

"Get back! If you don't—" The woman yelled from behind him.

"Hmph. Too late!" Seimei shouted and sent a huge blast of energy towards the man. This time, he wasn't able to cut through it, and got blasted backwards, slamming into the wall. When the dust cleared, he was lying underneath a pile of rubble, unmoving. Seimei turned towards Rikuo's Hyakki Yako. "**You're next." **He declared. The hooded woman muttered something like, "Not good. Not good." She jumped to the front lines, and pushed the ayakashi on her side backwards. "Get back!" She yelled. They didn't listen. In fact, they did the opposite of what she told them to do.

"How can we stand down?!" an ayakashi yelled.

"Yeah! He killed our Supreme Commander!" another yelled. The protests of the other youkai drowned out her voice. Seeing that they couldn't hear her, she took a deep breath. "**SHUT UP!" **She yelled over their voices. Everyone turned and looked at her. "Listen! If we don't get out of here soon, he's gonna go berserk!" Kishi yelled while pointing at the man, only to find out that he wasn't there. "Oh no." Kishi moaned while smacking her forehead.

"What?" They all asked.

"Seimei-sama! Behind you!" One of the demons from hell yelled. There was a shadow behind Seimei, and before Seimei could turn around, a sword cut into his shoulder. When the pain subsided and his eyesight cleared, Seimei saw the man, holding a sword, its tip covered in blood. "So you're not dead, huh?"

The man looked at him. The next thing all of them knew, Seimei had another huge gash in his body. His was-white onmyoji outfit was stained with red.

"…!" was the reaction from all of the youkai.

"Ye-YEAH!" The youkai on Rikuo's side cheered simultaneously.

"Good going!"

"You sure showed him!" The man looked at them. Slowly, a smile formed on his face, but it wasn't the warm, happy kind. It was maniacal. Kishi gasped in horror. "GET BACK!" She yelled.

"What—" The youkai were cut off when the man suddenly attacked members of the Nura Gumi. He swung his sword towards another group. There was a huge _CLANG!_ The youkai looked up to see Kishi standing in front of them, daggers raised, blocking the sword. "Wake up!" She yelled at the man. "You're attacking your own teammates!" The man staggered backwards, pressing his hand to his head.

"What's wrong with him?!" The youkai cried.

"First things first, we _have_ to get him to stop!" Kishi yelled.

"How?! Knock him out?!"

"I wish that would work, but he's already unconscious!"

"_WHAT?!" _One of Kishi's daggers morphed into two needles. "Sorry about this, but…" She aimed for him. The man took a step towards them. Suddenly, two white things pieced through his neck. The man fell. Kishi immediately ran up to him and put her fingers on his neck. "There's…no pulse…" She whispered.

"Well, at least he stopped," a feminine voice came from above them. The woman jumped down. She had black waist-length hair that was tied into a high ponytail, and she wore a teal kimono dress that ended at the thighs. Her obi was black, with golden dragons dancing in the background. She looked at Seimei. Her black eyes seemed to pierce through everything she saw. Seimei however, seemed unaffected.

"Onee-chan!" Kishi yelled.

"Hm?"

"I know he was going berserk, but you didn't have to KILL him!"

"Hey, he stopped." The woman shrugged the comment off. "It's been a while, hasn't it, Seimei." She said while turning towards the said person.

"Sensei…" Seimei said, surprising everyone. "So you're alive." He looked at the man lying on the ground. "The one you just killed, he was your student, no?"

"So what? I don't fight because of justice. I kill whoever and whenever I want to. And besides, he'll thank me for sending him to hell later. In the meantime," A katana (still sheathed) appeared in her hand. "_I'll _be your opponent.

* * *

The wounded youkai were crowding around Kishi, who was barely looking at them, yet still healing them at the same time. "Why did your boyfriend go berserk?" One of them asked.

"Boyfriend? What are you talking about?"

"Uh…the person who just got killed."

"Oh, him? Weelll, he's a hanyou." Kishi stated. There was a blank pause. "And…?" The youkai inquired.

"You mean you don't know? When hanyous or any person with youkai blood in them are on the verge of dying, their youkai blood takes over, in an attempt to save themselves, However, the blood of a youkai is too strong for a hanyou to handle. They lose their human hearts, and attack whatever they see. At first, they can restrain themselves. But after too many transformations, they lose their hearts _permanently_, and they become killing machines. They don't think or have any emotions. They simply kill everything in their path until their bodies can't stand it anymore." Kishi said.

"Then why did he charge at Seimei after Rikuo died? I mean, he wasn't in grave danger." Kishi sighed.

"That man…his own son died very similar to the way Rikuo died. His son sacrificed himself for him, and I suppose that must've triggered that horrible memory. He must've treated Rikuo as his own son."

"So…are you a hanyou, too?"

"No." She replied. "I'm 100% human." Those who heard her dropped their jaws in shock. Kishi apparently didn't notice this, and produced a roll of medical tools from her sleeve. She grabbed one of the tools and began carefully removing the needles from her comrade's neck.

"What are you doing?"

"Healing his body. So that when he comes back, he won't feel so uncomfortable."

"Um…excuse me?" Kishi waved the question off. "You'll see. I _should_ bring him back now, but I don't want to break his bonding time with Rikuo."

* * *

The first thought the man had was, _Where am I? _He wasn't in hell. He was sure of that.

The man scanned his surroundings. It was dark, but there was a faint light coming from somewhere. Just bright enough for him to see his own body. The place felt strange, yet also familiar. Like the place where "they" would meet.

He stepped forward. He didn't know where he was going, but at least he was going somewhere. As he walked further, his surroundings became brighter. Finally, he spotted a figure in front of him. The person had short brown hair and was wearing a black yukata. Draping over his shoulders was a red haori. "Rikuo?"

Rikuo turned around. When he saw him, his face burst into a smile. "Oh! You're here! We were expecting you." He saw the puzzled look on the man's face. "Some mysterious person told me to expect you. Well, let's go somewhere more…befitting for us to talk." Rikuo turned on his heels and started walking. The man followed.

After a while, they arrived at a small island. There was a single sakura tree in full bloom, casting a pinkish glow around them. Sitting on one of the branches, was Rikuo, in his night form. He looked down at them. "_I see he's here." _Night Rikuo said. Day Rikuo smiled. "Shouldn't you have known already? We _are_ one and the same."

"_Hmph."_

"So where is this…?" The man asked. Night Rikuo jumped down.

"_You could say this is the place between the two worlds. Human and ayakashi."_

"I see. So I'm assuming this is the place where your human and youkai side contact each other." Day Rikuo nodded.

"Yeah. But how did you know that?"

"I'm also a partial youkai, so I also have a realm like this." Both of them nodded in understanding.

"Oh, to avoid confusion, you can call this guy," Day Rikuo said while pointing at Night Rikuo. "Yoru. After all, he can only come out during the night."

"Okay, so… it's Yoru, and…Hiru." They nodded. "Did you…really mean what you said to me?" The man directed the question towards both of them.

"About what?" They asked simultaneously.

"About reminding you of your dad." Hiru's eyes saddened.

"Yeah… Honestly, his face gets dimmer every day. But then again, I'll get to see him soon, so…" He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. _"So are you going to be coming with us to hell?" _Yoru asked. The man shook his head.

"I don't think I'm going to hell just yet. This is just a temporary death, anyway." He raised a finger, gesturing for them to wait. "Yes, it's possible. There are multiple points on the body that can temporarily stop your heart. I should be going back soon." Both of them had their eyes wide open in shock. Yoru was the first to get over his shock.

"_I see. I think I know why she sent you here." _Yoru said. Hiru nodded.

"What?"

"Since you're going back, help us deliver a message to our hyakki, would you?"

"Um…sure. What's the message?"

"A hyakki's strength is that of its leader's," Hiru said.

"_So listen up, you lot! Don't give up just because I'm in hell!" _Yoru continued. They looked at each other.

"This, is our final order for all of you. Do not lose!" They said together. The man stared at them. Both had the same confident smile on their faces. He smiled. "All right. I'll deliver that message." The man looked down at his hands, which were starting to get transparent. "I suppose I should be going. But," He looked at the two of them. "There's something I have to tell you first."

"_What?" _Yoru asked.

"Just that…I'm sorry."

"Why would you be sorry?" The man shrugged.

"For not being able to save you. Making you die. And most importantly," He grabbed his hood and pulled it backwards, revealing his face for the first time. "Not telling you who I was from the beginning."

Yoru and Hiru were staring at the man, as if he just dropped out of the sky. A smile started forming on both of their faces. _"So you're alive." _Yoru said. The man looked at him, surprised.

"You're not surprised?"

"Of course we are! But now's not the time for it." Hiru replied.

"_That doesn't mean you're not getting the scolding of a lifetime when we see each other again." _Yoru smirked. The man smirked back in response. _"We're gonna find a way to bust out of hell." _

"Huh?"

"Seimei opened the gates of hell, so they should still be open. Otherwise the demons he brought back would have been pulled into hell by now." Hiru said. Yoru nodded.

"But until we find a way," They said as one. "Lead them for us." The man blinked a few times, confused.

"So, you're entrusting me with you're hyakki yako?" They both nodded.

"_Just until we get there."_ The man smiled.

"All right. I will." The man's eyesight started to get blurry. "I have to leave. If I stay any longer, I'll be dead. As in, _permanently._" He closed his eyes and allowed his soul to be pulled back into his body.

"Don't forget to deliver the message!" He heard Hiru yell. A smile formed on his face. When his soul settled comfortably in his own body, he opened his eyes.

* * *

"You finally came back! I was just going to go get you." The man heard Kishi yell. He sat up and immediately wished he didn't. His shoulder burned and yellow spots started dancing in his vision. Thankfully, he still had his hood on, so the youkai surrounding him couldn't see his expression. Kishi gave him a cup, filled with a greenish- yellowish liquid. "This is…?"

"An antidote. It won't completely heal the poison, but it should be enough to get you through this battle." He nodded and drank it. Like most medicine, it tasted horribly bitter, but he didn't have time to think about it. "Sensei!" He shouted.

"Hm?" The woman turned around. "Oh, you're back. I was getting bored. They just don't make youkai like they used to back in the old days." She had put up a barrier of some sort, which stopped both sides from advancing. "Don't worry. It's sound proof." She said, as if knowing what he was going to say next. The man nodded as he stood up. "I have a message from Rikuo!" He yelled.

At the mention of Rikuo, every youkai turned their heads towards him. "He wanted me to tell you this: 'A hyakki's strength is that of its leader. So listen up, you lot! Don't give up just because I'm in hell! This, is my final order to all of you. Do not lose!'" The man repeated Rikuo's message. At first, there was no reaction. Slowly, the youkai started yelling out fierce battle cries.

"We gotcha, Third!"

"Yeah! We won't lose to that bastard Seimei!"

Various yells came from the youkai Rikuo commanded. Seeing that they were ready for battle, the woman released the barrier.

* * *

Everything was chaotic from there. Both sides had charged towards each other the second the barrier was released. The woman that Seimei had called "Sensei" was fighting with Seimei. It was more of a one-sided battle though. The woman just kept dodging Seimei's attacks, and seemed to have no intention of attacking him at all.

"Jeez, after all the trouble I went through to teach you and this is the best you can do? Frankly, Rihan was a better hanyou than you. And that's saying a lot."

"Rihan? So you trained the Nura Gumi's Nidaime. Unfortunately, he broke your second rule, 'Never let your guard down' when he died."

"What are you talking about? He wasn't my student back then." Seimei widened his eyes.

"Sensei! Please move. Seimei…is my opponent!" The hooded man yelled from behind. He ran towards them, swords raised. The woman disappeared, and re-appeared on the roof.

"Fine." She said. "It would be much better to watch two pathetic armies fighting pathetically, than fighting a pathetic army _with_ the help of a pathetic army." The man glared at her. She shrugged. "It's true." The man hmphed and turned towards Seimei. Hagaromo Kitsune appeared next to him.

"Did you really talk to Rikuo?" She asked the man. He nodded.

"Rikuo said he was going to bust out of hell. And he told me to lead his hyakki until he got here." Hagaromo Kitsune smiled.

"I see… Then I suppose Rikuo trusts you a lot. Seeing as how he gave you the weight of his hyakki yako. Don't disappoint him." They charged.

* * *

Hagaromo Kitsune charged at Seimei from his left, while the man charged at him from the right. The man slashed at Seimei, cutting through his barrier. _Damn. I can't fight two of them at the same time. _Seimei thought. _I have to get rid of one first._ He looked at Hagaromo Kitsune. _I'll deal with Mother first. _He thought. When he saw an opening, he let out all the hatred and anger towards the Nura Gumi he had, and let out a huge blast of energy.

_I can't dodge this!_ Hagaromo Kitsune thought. Just when it was about to hit her, the stranger tackled her. They barely made it. The man's cloak was ripped to shreds, letting Hagaromo Kitsune see his face for the first time. "You are-!"

The man landed on the ground gracefully, carrying Hagaromo Kitsune in his arms, who was still staring at him.

**"Ri-Rihan-sama…?!"**

* * *

**Done! What do you think? Rihan's back! Yay! A couple notes:  
**

**1)Yoru- means "night"  
**

**2)Hiru- means "day"  
**

**Plz R&R!  
**

**~xxicexsnowxx~  
**


	5. Chapter 5

**Okay! Finally updating! I was sorta busy, so… ^_^'**

**And I finally broke the habit of updating this right after I write this in 30 min. (Yes, I do that.)**

**Special thanks to **_**Dreamjiji**_** from deviantART for lending me her pic for the cover!**

**Anyway, chapter 5, uploaded!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Nurarihyon no Mago**

* * *

"**Ri-Rihan-sama…?!" **Hagaromo Kitsune's voice echoed throughout the area. Those who heard her froze. Rihan was supposedly dead, so how was he standing here, perfectly fine? He was wearing his usual striped kimono, but instead of his usual protruding black hair, his hair was in a low ponytail. He looked down at Hagaromo Kitsune with amber eyes.

"Yamabuki now, is it? Can you stand?" Yamabuki/Hagaromo Kitsune nodded frantically. Rihan gently set her down.

"You _are_ Rihan-sama, right?" She asked when both of her feet touched the ground. He nodded. "Then, how—"

"Looonng story. I'll tell you guys everything when this is all over," Rihan interrupted. He turned towards Seimei.

"So you're the one who planned my death with Sanmoto, right?"

"Nura Rihan. I suppose that would explain why we never crossed paths in the underworld," Seimei chuckled. "Sensei," He looked up towards the said person. "So you _did _know the secret to the perfect Hangon no Jutsu. Care to tell me the secret?" The woman humphed.

"Hangon no Justsu isn't a jutsu you should mess with. It requires sacrifices. Sacrifices that someone like _you_ can never handle. Besides, why not just admit you started this whole war for your own personal desires?"

"What?" Seimei asked. Seeing his expression, the woman smirked.

"You didn't actually think I didn't know, right? This entire war, just for acceptance, and the secret to Hangon no Jutsu. Despicable. I wonder why I ever made you my student," She said while tilting her head quizzically.

"Then again, hanyous are greedy creatures, along with both ayakashi and humans."

"Wait!" Hagaromo Kitsune yelled. "What do you mean he started this for acceptance? Hangon no Jutsu I get, but what is this about acceptance?" The woman nodded her head towards Seimei.

"Go ask your son. I'm sure he'll tell you everything,"

"Seimei is not my son!" Hagaromo Kitsune yelled. The Kyoto and Nura Gumi's youkai stared at her.

"Can you and Hagaromo Kitsune stop switching around? It's getting confusing~" Kishi whined.

"It's not my—_our_ fault! Seeing Rihan-sama here—" Yamabuki/Hagaromo Kitsune stated uttering complete nonsense, stopping and starting new sentences without finishing them. Yamabuki's soul and Hagaromo Kitsune's soul were fighting over who gets to control the body. She fell to her knees, clutching her head in pain.

"O-Oi! Yamabuki, keep it together!" Rihan said as he rushed over to help her.

"You're in no condition to worry about others, Nura Rihan," Seimei said from behind. Rihan turned around just in time to see Seimei attack. He swung the Mao's Hammer down towards him. The blade was barely a centimeter away from Rihan's face, when Rihan suddenly disappeared.

_What?_ Seimei thought. As soon as he finished that thought, Rihan appeared behind him.

"Where are you aiming?" He asked. Seimei whirled around, only to cut nothing. Again, Rihan appeared behind Seimei.

"Turning your back against an opponent. What exactly is going on in that head of yours?" He said as he swung his sword down, which Seimei barely dodged. He growled, clearly unhappy about how things were turning out. Rihan merely smirked at his expression. As if on cue, both of them rushed forward, weapons raised, ready to kill.

* * *

_So…fast! I didn't even see him move! _Hagaromo Kitsune thought. To everyone, Rihan looked like he was appearing and disappearing the whole time. Adding to that, he was in his human form, so supposedly, he couldn't use his fear right now.

"Ho~ Rihan suddenly got faster, didn't he~3" Hagaromo Kitsune jumped at the sudden voice. She whirled around to find Kishi with her hood down. Like her sister, she had waist-length black hair and black eyes. The main differences were that her eyes were more playful, instead of being serious and intense, and her hair was down, instead of in a ponytail.

"But then again, Rihan always suddenly powers up when he's protecting something," Kishi said while looking at her. Hagaromo Kitsune clutched her head. It felt like it was going to explode, having two souls crammed into one body.

"Oh, let me help you with that." Kishi said. She drove her hand into Hagaromo Kitsune's stomach. Her arm went deeper and deeper, until her entire arm was engulfed in her body. Strangely, her hand didn't come out of Hagaromo Kitsune's back, and there was no blood. It was as if she were reaching for something _inside_ of her.

After she finally grasped what she was looking for, she forcefully yanked her entire arm out, dragging Hagaromo Kitsune's main body out. **(A/N Okay, this might be a little confusing, but it's basically Hagaromo Kitsune being pulled out of Yamabuki's body.) **Yamabuki fell to her knees.

"You okay Yamabuki?" Rihan yelled from where he was dueling with Seimei.

"Ye-Yeah! I-I'm fine, Rihan-sama!"

"Don't force yourself! Go with Kishi! She'll help you!" Rihan told her. "You go too, Hagaromo Kitsune!"

"This way, you two!" Kishi yelled as she grabbed both of their hands and dragged them somewhere safe. Yamabuki looked back at the battlefield.

_Rihan…sama…_

* * *

"What's going on? And is that…_Nidaime?_" Kubinashi asked Kishi as she passed by them.

"Yeah! We'll explain everything later!" Kishi yelled over her shoulder.

"Stop avoiding the question! Tell us what is going on, _now!_" Kubinashi yelled. Kishi stuck her tongue at him.

"Hey!" Kubinashi yelled. Kishi sighed and turned towards him.

"I just told you I would tell you later, but I suppose telling you guys now wouldn't hurt…"

* * *

"So you escaped hell when I opened the gates, isn't that right? Nura Rihan." Seimei asked.

"Why don't you think about that yourself?" Rihan asked as he swung his sword down. Seimei raised his hand, preparing to destroy his blade. Rihan's sword however, only bounced back from the force instead of shattering to thousands of pieces.

"Forget it, you can't destroy my sword like that." Rihan said.

"You're surprisingly calm. Aren't you going to kill me in a horrible fashion?" Rihan's expression turned furious. His eye's turned dark as his irises glowed. Then, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"As much as I would like to kill you," He started as he opened his eyes. "It's not my place to kill you. Rikuo is."

"Rikuo? Isn't he dead already?" Rihan smirked at the comment.

"**That's what you think."** Rihan said.

"What do you mean?" Rihan nodded his head towards Seimei.

"Look behind you." Seimei turned around just in time to see one of his oni swing a sword towards him.

* * *

**As I said, I am sorry for updating this so late. I was busy caught up with school work.**

**So why did one of Seimei's men attack him?**

**And just how _did_ Rihan come back to life?**

**Finally! I finished this chapter! I'll keep improving on my writing, so please excuse any grammar or spelling mistakes. ^_^**

**Please R&R! (Reviews and suggestions are welcome. No flaming though.)  
**


	6. Chapter 6

**Sixth chapter! Yay! **

…**Nothing else to put here except for the disclaimer, so…**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Nurarihyon no Mago, nor will I ever.**

* * *

Seimei blasted his minion to shreds, only to have _another_ one to attack him.

_What's going on? _He thought. Seimei snapped out of his thoughts when his sensei appeared next to Rihan, with one arm of Rikuo's body draped over her shoulder.

Rikuo's body looked like it had been healed by that woman named Kishi, which is to say, without a single scratch. The other weird thing was that Rikuo was in his youkai form.

"Hey! Over here!" She yelled. The oni that was currently attacking Seimei looked at her direction. Suddenly, the oni collapsed and something seemed to fly out of its body and entered Rikuo's. At first, nothing happened. Then, one of Rikuo's fingers twitched. Slowly, Rikuo started moving on his own, much to the surprise of most people. When Rikuo seemed to be fine, Rihan threw something in his direction, which Rikuo caught. He looked at the item thrown at him.

"Nenekirimaru?"

"You don't plan on charging in there without a weapon, do you?" Rihan smirked.

"Oyaji…"

"Oh yeah, _please _tell me you are not going to yell at me now. It's going to be hard listening to you while we take Seimei down." Now it was Rikuo's turn to smirk.

"I'm still going to yell at you when this is over." He said with a couple of veins popping on his head, angry at how his father had kept this secret both from him, and the Nura Gumi. Rihan sighed.

"I thought you'd say that. But first," Both of them looked at Seimei. "We have the Nue to take care of first."

* * *

"He _what?!_" Kubinashi yelled after he heard Kishi's insane story. Hagaromo Kitsune and Yamabuki Otome had their eyes wide open in shock. "You're lying! I know Rihan-sama is reckless, but for him to do something like that is impossible!" Kishi shrugged.

"Hey, I'm just telling you the story. How am I supposed to know why he would do that?"

"Nurarihyon-sama's going to flip!" Yamabuki cried.

"Haha… That's for sure. But I don't think Rihan really cares one way or the other." Kishi laughed. Suddenly, her face turned serious, and she quickly pushed all three of them down, barely dodging a few arrows. "Don't let your guard down, you guys! If you want to hear Rihan's side of the story, you're gonna have to survive~!" Kishi yelled over her shoulder as she smiled and ran off towards some wounded allies.

Kubinashi rubbed his temples with his hands. "I've never heard of that person before, but if that person could defeat Nurarihyon-sama without even a fight… Why would Rihan-sama make a deal with such a person?"

"Don't forget that that ayakashi is a rival of the Nura Gumi." Yamabuki added.

"I can't believe him. I WILL TIE HIM DOWN AND _FORCE_ THE ANSWERS OUT OF HIM…!" Kubinashi yelled. There was a blazing aura surrounding him.

"Let's wait until this is all over before we start talking about how we're going to torture Rihan-sama shall we?" Yamabuki smiled.

"Fine…" Kubinashi sighed.

* * *

"You've become strong, Rikuo." Rihan commented. His sword clashed with Seimei's, making a huge clang. Rikuo humphed. Hagaromo Kitsune appeared next to them. The three of them charged at Seimei.

"You know at times like this, I _really_ wish I could use Fear right now!" Rihan complained while barely dodging Seimei's swing.

"Then turn into your youkai form!" Rikuo yelled at him. Rihan snorted.

"If I could, I would've done it by now!" All three of them jumped back to avoid being blasted to shreds by Seimei.

"What do you mean, 'if you could'?" Rikuo asked. Rihan sighed and rolled up his left sleeve. On his arm were markings that looked like some kind of seal.

"These are powerful seals. I can only use a small amount of Fear unless she," Rihan said while pointing up at the roof. "Either releases the seal, or gives me permission to do so."

"So in other words…You're stuck in human form for the time being." Hagaromo Kitsune said. Rihan nodded.

"This is going to be the first, and most likely the last time I'm going to be _glad_ about training in human form for the last eight years." Rihan said. Streams of water and fire started surrounding his blade. Rikuo and Hagaromo Kitsune stared in awe. Rihan saw the looks on their faces and smirked. "Turns out humans aren't as weak as we think they are." He said as he swung his blade down. The fire spread and burned the demons, while the water plowed through them, cutting them as if the water itself were blades. A good half of Seimei's army was obliterated. Both sides watched in shock, momentarily forgetting that they were in a war. Rihan rubbed his left shoulder, wincing as he did.

"What's wrong with your shoulder?" Rikuo asked when he snapped out of his daze. The other youkai all snapped out of their trance and resumed fighting.

"Uh…poison." Rihan answered. "Not from this fight. It's strong enough to kill a human, but not nearly enough to kill a youkai. And since I'm in human form now, the poison's affecting me a little more than usual." He added in quickly. "Anyway, that last shot was not one of my best. Poison's starting to get to my head. That, and the fact that I wasn't able to use Fear. If I could, that last shot would've been a lot better." Rihan's face was racked with sweat.

"Hey, Rihan!" A voice called from above. They turned their heads towards the voice, which belonged to the woman.

"Go do whatever you want." She said as she waved her hand. The seals on Rihan's arm glowed for a moment before disappearing. Rihan muttered something like, "Ah, words to live by. Couldn't you have said that earlier?" Black tendrils of fear started wrapping around Rihan's body. They kept wrapping until it covered his entire body. When the smoke cleared away, Rihan stood there, in his youkai form.

"No matter what you say or do, you won't be able to defeat me!" Seimei said. Suddenly, the demons that Rihan had previously obliterated burst forth from hell. "As long as the gates are still open, I can revive them as many times as I want. **This is the end, Nura Gumi.**" Rihan, Rikuo, and Hagaromo Kitsune looked at the massive army in front of them.

_This…is impossible…_

* * *

**All right! Finally done! I'm sorry for updating so late. Blame my school for that.**

**So what was the deal Rihan made? And who did he make the deal with?**

**How will they defeat Seimei's army?**

**That's all for author's notes, so please leave a comment! Or a review. Yeah, reviews are fine.**

**Plz _REVIEW!_**


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